Apple says iPhone 4 algorithm is to blame, not antenna

Apple has issued an official statement about the iPhone 4 antenna issue, attributing the problem to a mistake in the formula that calculates the number of bars to display. Apple says that a software update will be available "within a few weeks" that will correct the issue, not only for the iPhone 4, but also the 3GS and 3G.

"To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band," wrote Apple. "This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design."

Simultaneously, Apple says it has gotten hundreds of e-mails saying that the iPhone 4 reception is better than the 3GS—this proved to be true in many cases for us during our testing of the iPhone 4, even though we could reliably reproduce the signal dropping problem.

Apple's explanation is that the iPhone—including 3G and 3GS—has always displayed too many bars given a certain level of signal strength. The company plans to adopt AT&T's recommended formula instead as part of its software update and has gone back to re-test everything.

"Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength," wrote Apple. "Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don't know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place."

The bar issue can be a complicated one—we wrote a feature on the disconnect between bars and cell signal back in 2008 that still applies today—but it's important to note that there is no industry standard for how signal translates into the bar display. Manufacturers generally make up their own scale and assign signal values to each bar, taking into consideration noise or interference that may be occurring in your environment.

Apple's explanation that it always used too many bars—especially for users in low signal areas—sounds like the company wasn't doing enough to account for interference or the other variables that come with overall signal strength, resident Ars programmer and former GSM/RF Engineer Clint Ecker told us. At the same time, the explanation gives us some pause—why has this problem in bar calculation only come up now and not previously if it has been in practice for two years already? Furthermore, Apple's statement doesn't address the very real issue of handsets losing up to 24dB of signal strength from simple bridging two of the phone's antennas—which is either a serious hardware flaw or another error in how the phone detunes its antennas.

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Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved.

Is the interwebs REALLY getting bent about an issue thy can be completely solved by doing the above? REALLY?

You can even use colored electrical tape, or designer stickers, to make a statement.

Some enterprising iPhone peripheral maker is going to make millions from this. $3 for the "iPhone 4 antenna cover" AKA 1-cent sticker. LOL!

Unless of course, you can produce a phone number I can reach him at and use your name as a reference he'd recognize.

I simply dislike people using anecdotal evidence and media-outlet reports as proof they 'know' what someone is thinking or what their motivations are. He ain't a saint and neither am I. This situation sucks. But don't sit there and suggest you 'know him' and I don't on the basis of your interpretation of what you've read.

There's 30 years of history to show what kind of person Steve Jobs is, you don't need to know his phone number (and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to call him since he uses an iPhone 4) or meet him in person. It's how FBI agents can tell what a serial killer is going to do next or how a sociopath is thinking.

I find it near impossible to believe that they simply ignored it and went through with a hardware solution that was virtually unrepairable.

You don't know Steve Jobs very well.

Apparently, you do. Tell me, when was the last time you and he had lunch?

I'm finding it just a little bit scary how people are getting emotionally wound up over this. It's interesting, and perhaps a bit annoying for some people hat have the phone, but Holy Mackerel, some of these reactions are completely out of whack. "Get a life" comes to mind.

would someone pls post a fix to enable/install an app to replace the erstwhile 'field test'? i would really like to see absolute signal strength numbers at this point. all this algorithm bs is annoying me. just give me the intel, i'll make a judgement about how strong the signal is.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved.

Is the interwebs REALLY getting bent about an issue thy can be completely solved by doing the above? REALLY?

You can even use colored electrical tape, or designer stickers, to make a statement.

Some enterprising iPhone peripheral maker is going to make millions from this. $3 for the "iPhone 4 antenna cover" AKA 1-cent sticker. LOL!

Unless of course, you can produce a phone number I can reach him at and use your name as a reference he'd recognize.

I simply dislike people using anecdotal evidence and media-outlet reports as proof they 'know' what someone is thinking or what their motivations are. He ain't a saint and neither am I. This situation sucks. But don't sit there and suggest you 'know him' and I don't on the basis of your interpretation of what you've read.

There's 30 years of history to show what kind of person Steve Jobs is, you don't need to know his phone number (and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to call him since he uses an iPhone 4) or meet him in person. It's how FBI agents can tell what a serial killer is going to do next or how a sociopath is thinking.

Ah, right. Steve Jobs is similar to a "serial killer" or "sociopath" and you've got the psychological profile training of an FBI agent. Now I understand. Thanks for clearing that up.

would someone pls post a fix to enable/install an app to replace the erstwhile 'field test'? i would really like to see absolute signal strength numbers at this point. all this algorithm bs is annoying me. just give me the intel, i'll make a judgement about how strong the signal is.

any ideas? tia.

You have to jailbreak at this point to get it. Apple removed that capability (it was present in iOS 3.x but not in iOS4).

.... you don't need to know his phone number (and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to call him since he uses an iPhone 4) or meet him in person. .

Yes, you do.

The iPhone 4 comment demonstrates your real motivations, as well as the fact that you really don't know what you're talking about. I know its hard, but don't believe Chicken Little the next time he says "the sky is falling".

I find it near impossible to believe that they simply ignored it and went through with a hardware solution that was virtually unrepairable.

You don't know Steve Jobs very well.

Apparently, you do. Tell me, when was the last time you and he had lunch?

Nice logical fallacy. As if 30 years of history can't give you a glimpse into the person. For fuck sake, he's just a human being, not a god, you don't need to religiously defend him all the time.

He made a mistake with the antenna design because he wanted form over function, and now Apple is trying to cover it up with a meaningless "fix" that doesn't address the underlying problem of poor antenna design.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved.

Is the interwebs REALLY getting bent about an issue thy can be completely solved by doing the above? REALLY?

You can even use colored electrical tape, or designer stickers, to make a statement.

Some enterprising iPhone peripheral maker is going to make millions from this. $3 for the "iPhone 4 antenna cover" AKA 1-cent sticker. LOL!

Nothing adds to the aesthetics of the good-looking iPhone4 like a piece of ratty tape or cheap looking stickers or even an asstastic bumper or case.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved. ...

Dumb answer...

Maybe some folks just aren't happy about the prospect of having to use scotch tape to get a $1,518.76 (*) gadget working as intended?

For example, Apple's recently-released iPhone 2.1 software update offers "improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display." Notice that this doesn't claim to actually improve signal strength or your ability to make calls on the iPhone. Translated into layman's terms, it means "we cranked up the bars for the same level of signal." And that (cranked up bars, anyway) is what users have been noticing, too.

Did you have lunch with Hitler? How dare you criticize him or his motivations if you have never met him in person!

Yeah......that's good. 'Cause Steve Jobs had concentration camps and sworn testimony from hundreds if not thousands of the atrocities he designed and ordered. As in........factual.....not anecdotal evidence.

If it really should be reporting ONE bar to start with, and lose signal, is anyone going to be surprised or wondering why? When you have ONE bar, you know you're in a bad signal area, so the call quality may be spotty, or at risk of being dropped.

If the signal display gives you a better idea of how strong your current signal strength is, your expectations regarding that signal will adjust.

Did you have lunch with Hitler? How dare you criticize him or his motivations if you have never met him in person!

Yeah......that's good. 'Cause Steve Jobs had concentration camps and sworn testimony from hundreds if not thousands of the atrocities he designed and ordered. As in........factual.....not anecdotal evidence.

Weak.

Because Hitler personally set up Auschwitz and others, transported prisoners himself, and personally oversaw executions.

If you're going to bite on a Godwin, you should...actually, just don't bite on a Godwin. It's the only way to look dumber than the person starting it.

Did you have lunch with Hitler? How dare you criticize him or his motivations if you have never met him in person!

Yeah......that's good. 'Cause Steve Jobs had concentration camps and sworn testimony from hundreds if not thousands of the atrocities he designed and ordered. As in........factual.....not anecdotal evidence.

Slippery slope argument is a logical fallacy as well.

We have over 30 years of factual evidence for Steve Jobs engineering decisions. It's not hard to understand why Steve Jobs would be fine with putting antennae in the grip of a phone instead of a more secure location.

You are completely unable to accept that a company under Jobs would make such bone-headed engineering decisions, such as inflating the bars displayed on the phone or having an idiotic antenna placement. Or make a Cube. Or Puck Mouse. Or Hi-Fi. etc etc etc.

would someone pls post a fix to enable/install an app to replace the erstwhile 'field test'? i would really like to see absolute signal strength numbers at this point. all this algorithm bs is annoying me. just give me the intel, i'll make a judgement about how strong the signal is.

any ideas? tia.

You have to jailbreak at this point to get it. Apple removed that capability (it was present in iOS 3.x but not in iOS4).

LOL!! More ammo for those suspecting (whether they're right or wrong) that Apple screwed iOwners intentionally.

On an aside, with my Droid I was only able to get the signal to drop from -88db to -95 at most, and that was my cupping it in both hands, entirely covering it front and back, except for a small opening from the side to read the display. I'm inside an office and my phone shows 1 bar almost all the time but still makes calls.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved.

Is the interwebs REALLY getting bent about an issue thy can be completely solved by doing the above? REALLY?

You can even use colored electrical tape, or designer stickers, to make a statement.

Some enterprising iPhone peripheral maker is going to make millions from this. $3 for the "iPhone 4 antenna cover" AKA 1-cent sticker. LOL!

Nothing adds to the aesthetics of the good-looking iPhone4 like a piece of ratty tape or cheap looking stickers or even an asstastic bumper or case.

New invention dude -- SCOTCH tape! NOBODY WILL KNOW! :-O (But you will -- and I can tell this is the kind of thing that would drive you BATTY, isn't it?)

I am embarrassed to say that I misquoted AnandTech in my previous post. I thought I was quoting the original review, but I was quoting a comment made by Elmer-DeWitt on the original review. The full quote was: "But there's a silver lining. The stainless steel band that surrounds the iPhone 4 and serves as its antenna, Klug writes, is better than other cell phones', even with all the attenuation." Here is my source: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/06/30/ ... UNE%3A+App

My sincere apologies for the inadvertent misrepresentation of AnandTech's position.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved. ...

Dumb answer...

Maybe some folks just aren't happy about the prospect of having to use scotch tape to get a $1,518.76 (*) gadget working as intended?

I am ever more chagrined to see every issue, every nuance, every problem in our culture become the subject of microscopic analysis, profanity, withering criticism, polarization, snarkiness and faux anger.Then, in a few days the torches and pitchforks head after a new victim.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved.

Is the interwebs REALLY getting bent about an issue thy can be completely solved by doing the above? REALLY?

You can even use colored electrical tape, or designer stickers, to make a statement.

Some enterprising iPhone peripheral maker is going to make millions from this. $3 for the "iPhone 4 antenna cover" AKA 1-cent sticker. LOL!

Nothing adds to the aesthetics of the good-looking iPhone4 like a piece of ratty tape or cheap looking stickers or even an asstastic bumper or case.

New invention dude -- SCOTCH tape! NOBODY WILL KNOW! :-O (But you will -- and I can tell this is the kind of thing that would drive you BATTY, isn't it?)

Scotch tape edges will pick up skin flakes, dust, and whatever else to look nasty. Plus, it will leave behind gunk when you pull it off.

It's kind of odd... Apple users are some of the most vocal about having desirable looks on their devices/computers. We hear things like "the industrial design" and similar phrases and how much better Apple products look than everything else because of their aesthetics. But as soon as something negative comes up like this antenna issue, they are suddenly the most vocal in doing "ugly" things to hack the problem... add nasty tape to the thing, blob some clear fingernail polish on it, put a case on it, etc. All of which are either ugly and/or hides the looks of the thing that is supposed to be so good looking.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved. ...

Dumb answer...

Maybe some folks just aren't happy about the prospect of having to use scotch tape to get a $1,518.76 (*) gadget working as intended?

Wasn't the problem with new antenna reception not the stupid bars? Sure the weird calculations of the amount of bars can hide the problem, but it doesn't make any difference to the received signal quality. If gripping the phone in certain ways makes dropped calls or slower data transfer, then what does this change? Nothing.

The problem is actually both. The antenna has a known, replicable, and acknowledged issue. However, how that issue is viewed by the public is effected heavily by the bar display, which they are now admitting is out of whack (and which I have a hard time believing they didn't know all along, particularly since they had adjusted the bar display previously to show higher reception).

As for the phone grip, it appears that most of the high-end phones have a similar problem, but due to the way the iP4 has increased their reception strength by shifting the antenna design makes it much more heavily effected by the same event.

mbfhdhpzvq wrote:

Apple is clearly lying about the antenna problem. Where one non-iphone has perfect reception and 5 bars when held, suddenly the iPhone 4 will have 0 bars and no reception when held?

You're misreading the articles.

If you have an iP4 and a non iP both on the AT&T network, the iP4 will get better base reception when not bridging the antenna. And it will often still get better reception even when the gap is bridged. It's not only an antenna issue. However, due to the programming, if you bridge it while in the middle of a call, it seems to have difficulty adjusting, thus the lost calls and transfers.

andydread wrote:

It is quite obvious that the "fix" is actually a work around for the real problem and they are using the bars story as a way to cover it up. The fix will include not only a fix for the misrepresentation of the bars but also a workaround to fix the dropped calls in places where the 3GS and earlier phones do not. Note how they claim the fix is just a fix to the display of the bars. Implying a cosmetic fix.

This.

I suspect that the fix will cover several different areas. The most obvious will be the bar display, which is objectively not in line with other, similar phones. The others will likely be adjustments to how the iP4 handles a drop in signal strength related to antenna bridging; I suspect it does so with a notable lack of grace at this time. This will also likely include updates on how the phone decides which signal to use in any given situation, particularly when the bridge occurs after a call or transfer is in motion.

I doubt they'll say much about the rest of it until the fix goes live and they can say something like, "We fixed the bar display, and oh, hey, we also found a way to make it not lose as much when you hold it 'wrong'!" acting like that wasn't their goal the entire time.

ubeardave wrote:

I get 3 bars on my iPhone 4 in my home. If I hold the phone in my left hand as shown in the iPhone 4 video on Apple's website, those three bars disappear completely. And then I have NO SERVICE. So how will a more accurate reading on signal strength help? This is clearly a design flaw that no software update will help.

No, this is a lack of signal strength in your home from AT&T. It's merely exacerbated by the bridging issue. With a lesser phone, it's possible you wouldn't be able to make a call at all from that location.

dfiler wrote:

So what do you say now? Are you going to claim I'm lying? Keep in mind, i'm a huge fan of Apple products. I'm not slinging mud. The reception problem is real and isn't just a display problem.

I say that with a lesser phone, you wouldn't have even been able to start the calls/downloads in the first place. The drops are as much an issue of AT&T's poor signal strength as Apple's poor antenna design and related programming issues.

cos_1 wrote:

The reality is that the unprotected iPhone 4 loses a lot more signal than most phones when held, according to Anandtech, The fact that it's also showing as more sensitive than their 3GS normally doesn't make up for this loss.

Yes, it does. But it also starts from a significantly higher signal so the drop leaves it still above most other phones using the same network in the same location.

Crimson939 wrote:

Now that I see what Apple's response is, my iPhone 4 is going back to the store. "Buy an ugly bumper" or "hold different" is not going to fly with me. I'm going back to my 3G that "just works".

Or, you could wait a couple of weeks, see what effect the update has, and then not make a rash decision you might regret later. You have 30 days to return the thing, you may as well give Apple a little time to try to fix their side of the problem. It's not like it'll cost you anything more to wait.

falcon92895 wrote:

Kool-aid what is that suppose to mean.

Try checking a bit of history.

Do a simple search for "drink the Kool-Aid" and educate yourself a little.

Why don't unhappy users who want to leave their iPhone 4 "bare" just cover the black antenna separator with an inch of tape? I would think even invisible scotch tape would do. No more bridging, problem solved.

Is the interwebs REALLY getting bent about an issue thy can be completely solved by doing the above? REALLY?

You can even use colored electrical tape, or designer stickers, to make a statement.

Some enterprising iPhone peripheral maker is going to make millions from this. $3 for the "iPhone 4 antenna cover" AKA 1-cent sticker. LOL!

Nothing adds to the aesthetics of the good-looking iPhone4 like a piece of ratty tape or cheap looking stickers or even an asstastic bumper or case.

New invention dude -- SCOTCH tape! NOBODY WILL KNOW! :-O (But you will -- and I can tell this is the kind of thing that would drive you BATTY, isn't it?)

Hey! They should issue tiny Apple logo stickers to all the Apple stores. Or maybe Apple "Band-Aids" to cover up the iPhone 4's booboo? Maybe in your choice of black, white, or rainbow-colored. In fact, I should apply for a patent on that now... oh wait, darn trademarks... Still, iPhone-reception-improving device, patent pending. Maybe I can cross license it to Apple to get access to their logo.

I am STUNNED by this load of BS from Apple. I get 3 bars on my iPhone 4 in my home. If I hold the phone in my left hand as shown in the iPhone 4 video on Apple's website, those three bars disappear completely. And then I have NO SERVICE. So how will a more accurate reading on signal strength help? This is clearly a design flaw that no software update will help.

Um... Apple's explanation is that the 3 bars you get on your iPhone 4 are an over-reading of the actual signal strength. After the "fix", your signal may read only 1 bar - so a small attenuation (as acknowleged) would cause it to drop to zero.

In what possible way does your experience prove Apple wrong?

A software update to address how the phone displays signal strength will do nothing to prevent the phone from losing service when the phone is held in the left hand. Apple is wrong, misleading, etc, when their very own demos show the phone being held this way without causing any loss of the 3G signal.

I suggest that you read the Apple memo again. Apple explicitly acknowledge that holding a phone in some ways can attenuate the signal received - just as it does on the Nexus 1 and many other phones.

Now it may well attenuate more on the iphone than on other phones, but the point is that when your signal is weak, any attenuation may well end up dropping the signal. So the same thing would happen with a Nexus 1 that was only showing one bar.

Yes, I understand, BUT the fact remains that Apple clearly demonstrates the phone being held in a way that Steve Jobs advises users not to do. If the phone is not functional, or has impaired functionality, when held in a way that Apple has demonstrated, then Apple is misleading consumers about iPhone 4's functionality. At best it's sending mixed messages.

I find it near impossible to believe that they simply ignored it and went through with a hardware solution that was virtually unrepairable.

You don't know Steve Jobs very well.

Apparently, you do. Tell me, when was the last time you and he had lunch?

I'm finding it just a little bit scary how people are getting emotionally wound up over this. It's interesting, and perhaps a bit annoying for some people hat have the phone, but Holy Mackerel, some of these reactions are completely out of whack. "Get a life" comes to mind.

The best part is that the loudest complainers are all people who don't have the phone and never had any intention of getting one in the first place. Everyone I know who actually has the iPhone 4 does not know what all the fuss is about.

You are completely unable to accept that a company under Jobs would make such bone-headed engineering decisions, such as inflating the bars displayed on the phone or having an idiotic antenna placement. Or make a Cube. Or Puck Mouse. Or Hi-Fi. etc etc etc.

Nnnooo.....read this next bit slowly.....

My argument was that you don't know the guy any better than anyone else. Start to finish....that's it.

You're the one with the internet hard-on for Jobs' demise and Hitler.

.....and you have my permission to have the last word. You need it more than I do. /Ruefus

Now that I see what Apple's response is, my iPhone 4 is going back to the store. "Buy an ugly bumper" or "hold different" is not going to fly with me. I'm going back to my 3G that "just works".

Or, you could wait a couple of weeks, see what effect the update has, and then not make a rash decision you might regret later. You have 30 days to return the thing, you may as well give Apple a little time to try to fix their side of the problem. It's not like it'll cost you anything more to wait.

^-.-^

Why would returning the phone be something Crimson would regret later? Buying another brand might lead to buyer's remorse, but if they don't buy another phone, they can always pick up a new, "fixed" iPhone later.

For example, Apple's recently-released iPhone 2.1 software update offers "improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display." Notice that this doesn't claim to actually improve signal strength or your ability to make calls on the iPhone. Translated into layman's terms, it means "we cranked up the bars for the same level of signal." And that (cranked up bars, anyway) is what users have been noticing, too.